Tonle Sap Boat and Battambang

Next we took a scenic boat trip from Siem Reap to Battambang. The boat goes along the Tonle Sap Lake and then a river, mostly via narrow passageways through the reeds. Along the way we saw floating villages and the traditional fishing methods (including the giant Chinese-style fishing nets). Passing a boat in the narrow lanes was always an adventure, and when we took corners the entire boat leaned like it was going to tip over. Cindy and I were continually planning our escape routes in case the boat sank, while I fantasized about the tasty fish dinner our floating village rescuers would cook as as we dried our cloths in their huts.



We didn't know exactly what to expect in Battambang. Cambodia's second city, it's much smaller than you would think, with a charming mix of French colonial architecture and a Wild West feel. It's a good town to wander around for a day and take in the atmosphere - I felt that we were able to start to see much more authentic Cambodian life here. Like every place we went to in the country, it was very clean and had many new modern buildings. There were also a surprising number of ritzy houses along the river and in the countryside, mixed up with the basic huts. And of course weddings weddings everywhere! Always in a big colorfully decorated tent along the road.


We took an outing in the afternoon on motorbikes, with a wonderful guide, Mr. Soon. First stop was the circus school at the edge of town that Cindy had heard about. This is a free school that kids can come and learn both their normal coursework as well as circus act skillz. At first it looked like a bust because it was Saturday and many kids were gone, but turns out there were some classes in session that we peeked into (though no circus practice). We were able to hang out with friendly art students who showed us around, as well as see some cool animation work that had been created in their computer lab (the topics were on public service messages such as drinking safe water and child sex workers). The highlight was seeing a practice of a high school musical about the dangers of heroin use. It was good to see that drama nerds were the same the world over!

Next we took a *gravelly* road out to a nearby Muslim village to meet some of the locals. Boy, did we meet them! As we were stopping in the village, the bike I was driving skidded on the gravel and slid out from under us, falling on top of Cindy and I. Luckily: a) we had helmets on and b) Cindy escaped with just a minor scrape on her knee. But I did end up with a bloody gouge on my ankle. The entire village came out to watch the tall American bleed all over their road, and in my state the overriding goal was not to throw up in front of all them due to the shock. Mr. Soon disappeared, and as I was trying to fashion some sort of bandage out of Kleenex and hand sanitizer, he reappeared with the local village medic. They quickly had me drenched in iodine and bandaged up with cotton balls. Needless to say, the bike trip was cut short!

On the way into town we bought a ton of medical supplies, and Cindy did a professional job getting my wound disinfected and dressed. That night we went out to a restaurant/cooking school, the "Smoking Pot", and sampled the local Amok (Cindy had some chicken dish that defied the "not so spicy" rule).